The first glimpse of your home anyone has is its exterior. If the outside of the house looks drab and dull with peeling paint and faded colors, it does not matter how good the interior is, no one will be impressed. Giving the exterior of your house a coat of paint will give it an instant face lift that can make a big change to its look and will be the added incentive to go ahead with a make over for the entire house.

The first thing you have to consider when planning to change the exterior house paint colors is to select a brand that provides protection from the elements. It's always the outside of any house that gets the full effects of rain, wind, dust, hot weather and snow which cause the paint to crack, peel and fade in a matter of months after receiving a new coat of paint. Therefore, you must ensure that the paint you use for the exterior is of high quality and will provide protection from the harsh elements experienced right through out the year.

Your next job is to choose the correct colors. It's always a good idea to choose colors that blend with nature and is not too harsh on the eye. While most people prefer to use dark shades as exterior house paint colors, keep in mind that darker the shade the sooner it will start to fade. Navy, maroon and chocolate are popular colors no doubt, but these colors tend to get affected by the sun and rain very soon leaving patches on the surfaces of the walls. Even if you want to touch up the fading spots at a later date, you might not be able to find the exact same colors after a certain time lapse. This is not to say that dark colors should not be used, you should always keep the above facts in mind when selecting the colors.

When going through color palettes, the temptation to choose unusual colors and radical combinations are great. Do be careful however because experimenting with colors should have done only with the help of professionals or you could end up with a garish mix of colors that will make you rue the day you thought of choosing your exterior house paint colors. Always try to keep the colors pleasant and in harmony with nature so that your house blends with the surroundings and will not be a cause for sore eyes.

Those who have used exterior house paint colors before will know how deceptive it can be to decide on a color just by looking at the palette. What looks like pale pink on the palette will tend to look more like coral when applied and if that's not what you wanted, you would have spent unnecessarily by purchasing gallons of paint all in one go. Always buy a little at first or if possible, use samples and try them out on a small area before buying the complete quota of your requirements.

Giving a new look to your house can be an exciting adventure. Plan it carefully and get professional advice whenever necessary to have your home looking exactly the way you imagined it.

Article originally published at Source by David Patullo